Frostbite & Hypothermia
October Safety Tip – Scott Asprey, RIBA safety educator
The change of our clocks on November 7, remind us that our New England winters are close behind. With that, our safety tip is focusing on getting ready for the signals of “cold stress.”
Two primary related cold illnesses FROSTBITE and HYPOTHERMIA, and the signs and symptoms should be reviewed with all your employees to keep them safe and healthy.
“SIGNALS OF COLD STRESS”
with Scott Asprey, RIBA Safety Educator
Frostbite
Flushed, white to gray skin, pain in the extremities with the fingers, cheeks, nose ears and toes, (even with boots) will be affected first
Hypothermia
Lower core body temperature, persistent shivering, lips may be blue, slow and/or slurred speech, memory lapses. This can happen at any temperature between 30 to 50 degrees F.
The one thing that’s most important is to ask your employees to watch out for one another, especially while working in windy and wet conditions as they tend to exasperate cold stress.
